10/16/2011

*** Multiple agency task force rounds up more than 100 suspected degenerates in several counties thoughout California including 51 reputed members of Norteños gangs which are controlled by the Nuestra Familia prison gang: "through links to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, these gangs move drugs, guns and people across the border and into communities throughout California."

*** The feds bust six suspected members of the Texas Mexican Mafia including its reputed state operations leader on heroin trafficking charges.

*** The feds bring a racketeering indictment against 35 reputed Bloods members thoughout Maryland: "those indicted are accused of at least one murder in Baltimore, an attempted murder in Wicomico County, a home invasion in Howard County, a kidnapping in Frederick, and witness intimidation in Allegany County, among a host of other alleged crimes."

"What we're seeing is that highly sophisticated gangs, operating out of the prison system or from cartels in Mexico, are shot-calling, and then farming out the work to local street gangs in California, like the Norteños," state Attorney General Kamala Harris said recently by phone from Los Banos, the scene of a large anti-gang operation June 7. Increased cooperation across borders and among organized crime syndicates threatens California in new ways, officials say. As evidence, they point to the beginnings of a spillover into this country of the sort of violence that has pitted cartels against the Mexican government and army.

Unfortunately, President Obama insists there is no evidence of spillover violence to which his administration must respond. Of course, with all his time on the greens, what the heck does the President really know about what's happening on the streets?

And the cartels and the gangs aren't simply partners in their bread-and-butter drug trade; rather, they are a full service organized crime joint venture: "They dabble in a multitude of transjurisdictional crimes, including weapons and the illegal trade of human beings, including children for the sex trade."

06/12/2011

*** In Central Valley, CA police arrested more than 100 in a raid against the Nuestra Familia gang on various charges ranging from drug trafficking to attempted murder: "Nuestra Familia, one of seven prison gangs, controls most of the Nortenos street gangs in Central California and has ties to Mexican drug cartels, according to law enforcement."

*** The feds indicted 51 suspected members of Azusa 13 -- a Latino street gang affiliated with the Mexican Mafia -- for their alleged roles in a terror campaign against blacks in Azusa, CA: "The indictment alleges that nearly 20 years ago, the Azusa 13 adopted a racist principle to harass and use violence in an effort to drive African-Americans out of the city of Azusa."

*** Bloods leader in Newport News, VA got life plus 237 years in prison after jury convicted him for "17 felonies and three misdemeanors, including conspiracy to commit murder, use of a sawed-off shotgun, and felony street gang participation": "He also shot a mother while she was pleading with him to stop recruiting her son for his gang."

*** Three suspected MS-13 members charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution after allegedly slicing up a rival SUR-13 gangster like a watermelon with a machete in Manassas, VA, and police need your help in locating them.

*** After five years the FBI found fugitive MS-13 member in St. Cloud, MN who was wanted for double murder in Baltimore, MD.

Leaders of prison gangs such as Nuestra Familia and Mexican Mafia use cellphones to manage their criminal enterprises from behind bars. They are able to contact associates to arrange drug shipments and sales, and even to plan and carry out murders of rivals or potential witnesses.

06/13/2010

*** A fifteen-year-old boy who fought against gang violence on the streets of Cicero, IL through Operation CeaseFire Cicero has been murdered by a bullet to the head by some degenerate.

*** 24 suspected members of Nuestra Familia are arrested in Salinas, CA: "Officers and agents seized a kilogram of cocaine, a pound of methamphetamine, eight firearms, body armor and more than $36,000 in cash, police said."

***Nineteen suspected Nortena members arrested in Modesto and Ceres, CA: "During the sweep, authorities say they seized eight firearms, including a MAC-10 submachine gun, a sawed-off shotgun, some ammunition and police scanners."

[G]ang members cannot associate with one another and must stay away from weapons, drugs, alcohol and graffiti tools; and gang members may not intimidate, trespass or block access to public ways, including sidewalks, alleys and building entrances. It also imposes a mandatory curfew on adult gang members from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Curfew for those under 18 begins at 8 p.m.

*** Police in Walla Walla, OR keep an eye on five established gangs -- 18 Street gang, Florencia 13, Eastgate Posse, Deuce Four Seven Crips and Labor Camp Soldiers -- which warns they are becoming increasingly violent toward law enforcement: "This is especially true with 18 Street. Members have challenged officers to fight and, in one case, an officer trying to make an arrest was punched in the face by an 18 Street gang member."

The shooting death of a Kinston teen in April — a homicide allegedly involving a trio of Crips targeting a Blood on Independence Street — and a string of arson fires in East Kinston this spring helps define the boundaries of these gang territories but, more importantly, defines the depth of the problem authorities face — a problem that threatens to outstrip their efforts to control it. * * * Gang activity in the city has more than quadrupled since 2006.

At the celebrated Banzai Pipeline, they determine which waves go to whom, and punish those who breach their code of respect for local residents and the waves. * * * The Pipeline is "like any surf spot," said Randy Rarick, executive director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which includes the Pipeline Masters. "You have locals, and you have locals who enforce the unwritten rules," Rarick said. "And sometimes that leads to violence, sort of shady characters dictating. It's kind of like Mafia control in the surf." * * * The Wolfpak's loosely affiliated membership comes mostly from the neighboring island of Kauai. It includes professional surfers like the three-time world champion Andy Irons, 30, and his brother, Bruce, 29, a talented free surfer. The most notorious member is the group's enforcer, Kala Alexander, a professional surfer with muscular tattooed arms and "Wolfpak" inked across his knuckles. In 2007, Alexander starred in "The 808," a reality television series about the Wolfpak and the North Shore, and appeared in the films "Blue Crush" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." But he has also gained fame for YouTube videos that show him pummeling surfers on the sand several years ago.

Federal Judge Ruben Castillo admitted he initially had reservations about hearing a local gang case in federal court. Were the U.S. courts -- places often reserved for bribery and public corruption -- the appropriate venue to try a bunch of neighborhood gang leaders? But after hearing the evidence against members of Aurora's Insane Deuces, Castillo said he became convinced federal courts were exactly where sophisticated, organized and deadly gangs must be dismantled. And [last] Wednesday, Castillo handed down the third, fourth and fifth life sentences to the gang members convicted of participating in a racketeering conspiracy that killed four people, attempted to kill five others and netted $1.5 million in drug profits.

Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, called the meeting at Salinas City Hall. She said it was a chance to start anew in the fight against gangs by seeking collaboration, commitment and resources from every level of government and law enforcement — the city, the county, the state and federal agencies. A former Salinas mayor, Caballero said such meetings were successful during her administration and led to the jailing of major gang leaders and the creation of such tools as the Monterey County Joint Gang Task force. And make no mistake, Caballero said in an impromptu, pre-meeting press conference, "Organized crime is really what this is all about." It was a reference to the belief in some circles that, as Salinas' interim police Chief Daniel Ortega suggested in an earlier press conference Friday, that the recent violence and robberies might be tied to the notorious prison gang, Nuestra Familia.

"Using criminal prosecutions and deportations, we're taking dangerous gang members off the street and disrupting the cycle of gang violence," said Brian DeMore, field office director for ICE's Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Los Angeles. "In cases where gang members are in the United States illegally, we not only remove them from the community, we seek to remove them from the country." As part of Operation Community Shield, ICE works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to target transnational street gangs. Transnational street gangs have a significant number of foreign-born members and are frequently involved in human and contraband smuggling, immigration violations and other crimes with a connection to the border. Since Operation Community Shield was launched in 2005, ICE has arrested more than 11,850 gang members and associates nationwide and seized more than 450 firearms. Of those arrested, 145 were gang leaders.

The three-year investigation that led to the 14-person indictment was dubbed Operation Broken Star, referring to the Astros logo that the Houstone gang members use to identify themselves with their clothing and tattoos, said acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson. "Most gangs deal with roots in the prison system," Johnson said. He said gangs are useful protection in prison and embolden the members on the outside. He noted that "10 working together with the same goal," have a magnified effect. "The Houstones are an offshoot of the Tango Blast prison gang," said Andrew Bland III, special agent in charge of the FBI in Houston. "Make no bones about it, we are here to collectively wage battle, wage war on any gang and all gangs." The 14 indicted men, ages 22 to 36 and mostly from the Houston area, are charged with distributing marijuana and cocaine with a wholesale value of $18 million and could have a street value much higher, maybe $40 million, authorities said. Also seized from the suspected gang members were 10 cars, including a Hummer, a Mercedes, a Bentley, a Maserati and a Range Rover.